Noticing You Two
by The Green Sword
Summary: Tess Mercer has noticed how Lois and Clark interact at the Daily Planet. She hasn't tried to notice, though...observer's view of Clois. One-shot


Just a short piece of what Tess sees in the bullpen between Lois and Clark. Set in early season 8, although their interactions are probably exaggerated.

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own anything and am only having fun with these characters to occupy myself until the show comes back in January! Title is loosely based on that Akon song that my roommate is in love with, although that song doesn't really apply to this story except for the noticing part.

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**Noticing You Two**

It wasn't something she made a point of doing. It really wasn't. She had so much going on with Luthercorp and the Daily Planet that she couldn't afford to get distracted for too long from her job. Her 19-hour days were booked solid with the massive game of catch-up she was playing with Lex Luthor. She shouldn't even have noticed what those two were doing.

But she had noticed, and once she had, she couldn't help seeing it every time.

Kent and Lane were always together.

She had tried to make a habit of taking a daily walk around the Daily Planet at random times. She was hardly ever noticed in the bustle of the hunt for the news, but she wanted to keep an eye on things. She was in control. She'd be damned if she let anyone or anything slide on her watch.

The only downside to these walks was the times that it brought her by the desks of Kent and Lane. They had never really noticed her, or at least she had never lingered long enough to make an impression. Of course, it was hard to get anything between them. They were always talking, or smirking, or throwing looks at each other, or even actually throwing paperclips or crumpled pieces of paper.

It was a real shame, actually, because Kent certainly had potential. He had information that she needed, she knew that much. He was the last person to see Lex alive. The relationship between Lex and Kent seemed to be complicated at best, and at it's worst it was something she couldn't make use of. She needed to stay on Kent's good side; she needed to work her way into him to get what he knew. She just wished she didn't have to put up with Lois Lane in the process.

Lane was a good reporter. Tess could admit that much, privately of course. But she could not stand to be around that woman for longer than 10 minutes. Having two strong, competitive, ambitious women in such close proximity was bound to unleash claws. Tess knew that Lane didn't trust her as Lex's successor. But Lane had been getting more complex, which was a surprise. Their conversation about the Kryptonian spacecraft had been…insightful? Weird? Downright disturbing? Since then, Lane hadn't shown any acknowledgement of that night, but Tess was hopeful that the raise would motivate Lane to eventually become a little more forthcoming. She would bid her time, Lane may have thrown her off-step, but that certainly wasn't permanent. Lane was certainly curious, a trait that was going to get her killed one day, but Tess was confident that she could keep the intrepid reporter's nose out of Luthercorp business. In the meantime, Lane was already staking her territory over the men revolving around both women, Kent and Oliver.

The idea was pure nonsense. Tess had worked hard, fought her own battles, become strong off other people's weaknesses, usually the weakness of men. She was cold and detached, but only because emotions got messy and didn't get the job done. Lois Lane could relax. Lane and Oliver were through, even as much as Lane touted his role as a "humanitarian" and standing up against social injustice. What did Lane care if Tess and Oliver occasionally…sparred with each other? Tess wasn't out to steal her precious partner from her, either. She wanted the information Kent had, and while he certainly was a welcome sight at the copier, she wasn't sure yet if she needed to promote him to serve her own, personal needs.

Not that that was likely, with the way she had seen them together in the basement. She knew she shouldn't indulge the smidgeon of romanticism within her, but a very small part of her could recognize what they had. She couldn't possibly imagine how Lane, who was an emotional rollercoaster, could be resisting the situation. The two of them, sitting across from each other, every day, all day. Even Tess hadn't waited that long to jump Oliver when he made his grand re-appearance in Metropolis. It had been for one night, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

So why wasn't Lane doing anything? Tess watched the two of them, recognized the mating dance, and wondered what the hell was wrong with Lois Lane. Sex didn't have to be complicated. Those two, they had the inclination. Their relationship was hovering just on the edges of unbridled passion. The setting was conducive to making something happen.

Any number of things would have already pushed Tess to a lip-lock with Clark Kent. When he had carried her out of the rubble from the bus, his confidence and smile had definitely caught her attention. Strong, sexy, and in control, all that was fine with Tess. As long as she had the upper hand, things could get interesting as far as she was concerned. But that was her opinion, and not Lane's.

She just couldn't figure out those two. They joked, they traded sarcastic comments, they kept their energy throughout the whole day, pushing each other farther, and the way they looked at each other showed genuine affection. It was enough to make her gag.

Tess had passed them once when Kent was leaning over Lane's shoulder to read something on her computer. One of his hands rested on the back of her neck and the other was only centimeters from Lane's hand on the desk. They had kept talking, though, refusing to allow any silence or meaningful looks to be exchanged.

Tess had seen the meaningful looks at other times, though. In the middle of an argument, usually a very passionate exchange of grammar and editing, they would sometimes just sort of stop and look at each other. Kent's face would become a bit more serious and Lane would look at him like she had just completely forgotten where she was. It didn't matter how close they were physically. Tess had seen them suddenly freeze while getting coffee right next to each other, but she had also seen it happen when they were halfway across the room. At any distance, one of them would invariably take a step closer or lean slightly nearer, only to realize a second later where they were. Kent would adjust his tie and look anywhere else. Lane would swallow and usually be the first to move away, jabbering on again. It was amazing, really.

Tess would have objected to the lack of professionalism on the job, except that these interactions were always followed-up with more articles and better writing from both of them. Apparently, sexual tension was just what they needed to ramp up their work. For the Daily Planet's sake, she hoped they continued to keep the tension high and palpable.

If she took her walk early enough in the day, she would sometimes catch one of them alone for all of five seconds before the other one showed up. Usually Lane was there first, which encouraged Tess to not make her presence known. When Kent breezed in, there was usually a general appraisal of what each of them was wearing. Lane always hesitated for a second during whatever she was doing that first time she saw him in the day. It was slight, but unmistakable. A quick greeting or a comment usually followed her pause, but that was only because Kent couldn't find anything to say during his own checking out of Lane. Seriously? They were that overwhelmed with each other each time? Tess could understand that maybe on a Monday morning after a long and lonely weekend, but even on Thursday? When they would jump right back into their verbal sparring? It must be exhausting for both of them, keeping so much under control while working.

Tess had plenty to keep her actually busy, in the meantime. She would continue to use her charm to figure out what Kent was hiding and lying about when it came to Lex. He was an intriguing avenue, and she needed to find Lex. Like the meteor freaks she was recruiting, she needed Kent on her side. She would wait and see whether Lane had any more information to offer about anything Kryptonian that could lead to the missing crystal. She doubted Lane had anything to offer, but she needed to keep Lane from poking her nose where it didn't belong. As long as Kent and Lane kept working hard, it didn't matter to her whether they only shared lingering gazes or made-out every other hour in a supply closet.

She didn't think about it. She didn't think about them. She didn't care about what they did…together. But when she did notice them, the looks, the passion, the sensitivity to each other's touch, she would roll her eyes. They were adults, weren't they? Make a move!

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Author's note: This is my first Smallville fic, but hopefully not my last, since I'm newly obsessed with the show and all. I tried to keep it as true to Tess as I could, but I also let myself lapse a bit into my own love of Clois. Reviews are always welcome!


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